Training activities organized at the request of UN Member States or organizations are financed entirely through extra-budgetary sources. In most cases, the activity is funded either entirely or partially by a bilateral or multilateral donor agency in the form of a special purpose grant and Member States or organizations requesting the training contribute in-kind, such as providing training facilities and covering logistical/hospitality expenses for the participants. In some cases, costs may even be shared with neighbouring countries by organizing the training activity at the sub-regional or regional level.

There is no need to wait until the full project budget has been secured before contacting UNITAR. While it remains the responsibility of the requesting entity to secure full funding, UNITAR is often able to assist in the fundraising process. When submitting a request, it is thus important to identify possible sources of funding and indicate if contact has already been made.